Lamp harps



April 19, 1955 K, BERGER 2,706,771

LAMP HARPS Filed May 16, 1951 INVENTOR. h k NE BER 66/? United States Patent LAMP HARPS Kornel Berger, Kew Gardens, N. Y.

Application May 16, 1951, Serial No. 226,671

3 Claims. (Cl. 240-148) This invention relates to lamp harps, and, more particularly, to an improved swivel top for the same.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved swivel top having increased flexibility of adjustment.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a swivel top of the character described constituting relatively few and simple parts and which can be manufactured at a low cost.

It is another specific object of the invention to provide a swivel top such as described which is of compact simple construction, and can be tucked within the bail for shipment.

It is another specific object of the invention to provide a swivel top of the character described whose ability to retain a lamp shade in adjusted position is not affected by protracted use.

Other objects of the invention in part will be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the lamp harps hereinafter described and illustrated and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which are shown various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a front view of the upper portion of a lamp harp having a swivel top constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a lamp harp embodying a modified form of the invention; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views taken substantially along the lines 5-5 and 6-6, respectively, of Fig. 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1-3, the reference numeral 10 denotes the conventional wire hail of a lamp harp 12. Said bail, in addition to its two bowed arms 14, 16 includes the usual horizontal top reach 18 on which there is secured a finial-receiving swivel top 20 whose construction is the principal feature of the instant invention.

, The swivel top comprises a circular plate 22 having a central dished section 24 and a pair of peripherally located, diametrically opposite, downwardly extending ears 26. Each ear is bifurcated to provide a pair of fingers 28, 30 whose bases are spaced apart and whose tips are curved towards one another so as to frictionally embrace the horizontal top reach 18 of the bail.

The swivel top also comprises a tube 32 which may be drawn from sheet metal. Said tube has a base 33 seated on the dished section 24 and includes a centrally dependent leg 34 of lesser diameter than the tube. The leg extends through a central aperture 36 in the dished section and is provided with an enlarged foot 37 beneath said aperture so that the tube is firmly held in place on the plate 22.

The foot 37 may frictionally bear on the reach 18, thus enhancing friction in the contact between the swivel top 20 and the bail. This arrangement permits the swivel top to be turned manually around the longitudinal axis of the reach 18 and to remain in any set position.

A ball 38 is snugly housed in the tube, the open top mouth 40 of the tube being constricted, as by spinning inwardly, to captively retain the ball. A squat helical compression spring 42 seated on the base 33 of the tube presses the ball upwardly against the constricted mouth 2,706,771 Patented Apr. 19, 1955 ice 40 and furnishes sutficient friction to hold the ball in any angular position at which it may be set. The friction thus provided is suflicient to hold the ball in any adjusted position even with the extra weight of a lamp shade.

Extending from the ball through the constricted mouth 40 is a finial stud 44 whose diameter is much less than that of the ball so that the stud and ball can swivel about two polar axes, its movement being limited only by abutment of the base of the stud against the rim of the open top mouth of the tube.

A washer 46 is mounted on the stud adjacent the ball, the same being adapted to serve as a seat for the spider hub of a lamp shade which is held against the washer by a finial (not shown) that is screwed on the stud.

A modified form of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 4-6 wherein the same reference numerals have been used to denote the same part of the lamp bail.

In this alternative form of the invention the swivel top 48 comprises a cap 50 including an annular plate 52 from which a pair of diametrically opposite arms 54 are pendent. Each arm is bifurcated to provide a pair of fingers 56, 58 which are located on opposite sides of the horizontal top reach 18. The tips of said fingers are turned in toward one another to embrace said reach so that the fingers define an opening 60 within which said reach is located. However, said opening is slightly larger than the diameter of the bail so that the bail is not frictionally engaged thereby.

The annular plate 52 is integral with an upwardly extending tube 62 the top 64 of which is open and slightly constricted. A ball 66 is disposed in said tube, the diameter thereof being slightly less than the diameter of the tube, said ball being retained against upward movement by the constricted top 64.

The ball is biased upwardly by a flat leaf spring 68 which extends across the open bottom of the tube 62. Adjacent its ends said spring has downwardly and outwardly sloping legs 70 which terminate in feet 72. The feet are located in the openings 60 above the reach 18, there being, optionally, sufficient clearance freely to admit said feet. When relaxed the spring 68 has its legs 70 inclined at a lesser angle to the vertical, and the center of the spring is at or near the elevation of the upper ends of the legs. With the ball in place, as indicated in Fig. 4, the center of the spring is depressed by the base of the ball which extends below the open bottom of the tube 62. The resultant stress created in the spring resiliently urges the ball into frictional engagement with the constricted top of the tube and thereby sufiicient friction is created to hold the ball and a lamp shade which may be carried thereby in any adjusted position. Moreover the same stress resiliently urges feet 72 into frictional engagement with the horizontal top reach 18 so that said reach is resiliently clamped between said feet and the tips of the fingers 56, 58 whereby to hold the cap 50 in any adjusted angular position with respect to the bail.

The ball 66 carries a finial stud 74.

It will be observed that the resilient force caused by deflection of the spring and which creates the friction necessary to hold the ball 66 and the cap 50 in any adjusted angular position will not lessen with long and repeated use inasmuch as the frictionally engaged parts will accommodate themselves to any slightly altered position due to wear without noticeably lessening the frictional engagement.

It thus will be seen that there are provided lamp harps which achieve all the objects of the invention and are well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matters herein described or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention, there is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In combination with a lamp harp bail, a swivel top comprising a plate having a pair of downwardly extending ears each of which is bifurcated and frictionally embraces a part of the bail whereby the plate can rotate around said part of the bail, said plate having a through opening, a tube having a base seated on said plate above said opening, said tube having a portion of reduced diameter extending through said opening and including an enlarged foot on the opposite side of the plate, the mouth of said tube being constricted, a ball in said tube, a finial engaging element carried by said ball and extending through the constricted mouth of the tube, and a spring under compression between the ball and the use of the tube.

2. In combination with a lamp harp bail, a swivel top including means rotatably to engage a part of the bail and a ball swivel joint carried by said means, said joint including a ball, a seat for the ball located above the ball and carried by the rotatable means, means exerting a biasing upward force against and in contact with the ball to press the ball upwardly against the seat, and a finial engaging element carried by the ball.

3. A combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein the rotatable means constitutes a cap having a pair-of bifurcated ears, the bifurcated portions of which embrace loosely a part of the bail, wherein the ball seat constitutes a tube integral with the cap and having an open end facing the hail, the mouth of the tube remote from the bail being constricted, the ball being located within the tube and having a portion extending through the open end of the tube, the finial engaging element extending through the constricted mouth of the tube, and wherein the biasing means constitutes a leaf spring having a central section resiliently engaging the projecting portion of the ball and end sections resiliently pressing against the bail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,665,703 Kernes Apr. 10, 1928 1,697,037 Witz Jan. 1, 1939 1,927,703 Glowacki Sept. 19, 1933 2,270,497 Berger Jan. 20, 1942 2,495,209 Chilo Jan. 24, 1950 

